WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results As Randy Orton Wins, Seth Rollins Returns

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 marks the last official stop on the road to WrestleMania 42, and arguably the show’s biggest attraction was the men’s Chamber match.

After Roman Reigns won the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble last month amid a major WrestleMania card shakeup, he chose to challenge World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk the following night on Raw. With that decision, it was determined that the winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match would challenge for the WWE Championship, currently held by Drew McIntyre, at WrestleMania 42.

The 2026 WWE Elimination Chamber field included six of WWE’s biggest stars: Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Je’Von Evans, Jey Uso, Randy Orton and Trick Williams. On the line? A WWE Championship match and potential WrestleMania 42 main event slot.

ForbesWWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results As CM Punk Beats Finn BalorBy Blake Oestriecher

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results for Men’s Chamber Match

The men’s 2026 WWE Elimination Chamber match had an overwhelming favorite in Cody Rhodes, but WWE pulled a swerve for the ages instead.

After entering the match last, 14-time world champion Randy Orton outlasted five of WWE’s top stars, last eliminatingRhodes to win the Elimination Chamber match and punch his ticket to another championship match at WrestleMania.

Here are the biggest highlights and key moments from Orton’s WWE Elimination Chamber win inside Chicago’s United Center:

• Cody Rhodes and Je’Von Evans started the match. Early on, Evans took down Rhodes with a headscissors and a dropkick, but Rhodes responded by tossing him into the steel cell.
• The No. 3 entrant was Trick Williams, who immediately planted Rhodes with a flapjack. Williams and Evans faced off, and Evans caught him with a flipping kick. Evans went for the OG Cutter, but Williams blocked it and blasted him with a vicious chop. Rhodes came back in and hit a leg sweep as the crowd actually booed him.
• Williams hit Rhodes with the Cyclone Boot as the crowd chanted, “Whoop that Trick!” Williams hit Evans and Rhodes with a double chokeslam and got a two-count. The three stars battled it out before Logan Paul entered at No. 4 to plenty of boos. Evans, Rhodes and Williams immediately attacked him and threw him through a pod much to the crowd’s delight.
• Evans hit a spinning kick on Williams, then Rhodes launched Evans to the outside. Paul jumped in the ring and attacked Rhodes. The No. 5 entrant was LA Knight, who instantly went after Paul as the crowd roared with chants of “Yeah!”
• Knight hit a leaping neckbreaker on Williams, but Paul sent Knight face-first into an empty pod. Paul climbed the cage and went on top of a pod, but Evans followed him and so did Knight. With all three stars atop a single pod, Knight and Evans tossed Evans off the pod onto Rhodes and Williams in the ring.
• Knight hit Evans with a BFT on the pod. Moments later, Randy Orton entered at No. 6. and attacked Williams and Paul with a series of clotheslines followed by his patented powerslam on both stars. Orton tossed Paul onto Williams on the outside, then hit a double draping DDT on them both.
• Orton lined up for an RKO, but Knight interfered and hit him with a DDT. With the five other stars laid out on the mat, Evans, still atop the pod, leaped off and onto Williams with a big frog splash. Paul immediately caught Evans with a Paulverizer to eliminate Evans. Five men left.
• Knight slammed Rhodes for a two-count, then Orton blasted Knight with 10 punches in the corner. Knight hit Orton with a big boot and went up top for an elbow but slipped off the top. Williams tried to roll him up, but only got two.
• Paul snuck in the ring, hit Knight with a low blow and rolled him for the three-count. That eliminated Knight. Down to four men, and only Paul has eliminated anyone. Williams caught Paul with a kick and went for the Trick Shot on Paul, who avoided.
• Rhodes rose up and hit the Cross Rhodes on Williams. Paul threw him out and stole the pin on Williams to eliminate Williams and get this match down to three: Paul, Orton and Rhodes. A masked guy began climbing the outside of the cage, but security intervened and escorted him out. It was yet another random guy, just like on SmackDown.
• As Williams left the cell, another masked man entered the cell and attacked Paul. He blasted Paul with a Stomp, allowing Rhodes to eliminate him. The second man removed his mask and revealed himself to be a returning Seth Rollins. The crowd erupted for Rellins’ shocking return as The Vision’s Paul Heyman went berserk at ringside.

• With the cell still open, Drew McIntyre entered the ring and attacked Rhodes from behind with the WWE title. He then beat down Rhodes before Orton hit McIntyre with an RKO. He and Rhodes teamed up on McIntyre, but then Orton immediately blasted Rhodes with an RKO. He then pinned Rhodes for the victory. Wow. That was unexpected.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results: What’s Next for Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes?

It has long been reported that Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes ha been planned for WrestleMania 42, even though it wasn’t originally even Plan B.

After Seth Rollins’ injury led to a slew of creative changes, WWE ultimately landed on reverting back to Rhodes vs. McIntyre for the WWE Championship. Or so we thought. While Rhodes vs. McIntyre certainly wasn’t confirmed confirmed at Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber event when Orton surprisingly won the men’s Chamber match, it wasn’t exactly put to rest either.

Is Rhodes vs. McIntyre fresh or exciting? Of course not. The two stars feuded for much of the latter half of 2025 and into the early part of 2026, and it felt like WWE should have moved on from this rivalry several months ago. Thus, WWE had no choice but to change it up somehow, some way.

Enter Orton and the possibility of a multi-man match with several competitors gunning for McIntyre’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.

While Orton is now confirmed to be at least one of McIntyre’s WrestleMania challengers, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis revealed on the Elimination Chamber post-show that McIntre would defend his WWE title against Rhodes on this week’s SmackDown.

Thus, three big questions remain: Will Rhodes beat McIntyre for the title so that we get Orton vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania? Will McIntyre retain and face Orton? Or will there be another controversial finish that leads to McIntyre defending against at least two other stars at WrestleMania 42.

That last question must be seriously considered because Jacob Fatu and/or Rhodes, who was shafted by McIntyre at Elimination Chamber, could seemingly both be added to the WWE title match at WWE’s flagship show.

After WWE Elimination Chamber, we got some answers about Orton and McIntyre, but those big WrestleMania questions still remain about all those stars who left Chicago without a win, Rhodes included. It also remains to be seen what the returning Rollins will be doing at WrestleMania 42.

First, it looked like Rollins would face Bron Breakker, but Breakker got injured. Then, Breakker’s Vision stablemate Bronson Reed got injured too. Though there is a possibility that Breakker is back in time for WrestleMania 42, it looked like WWE instead set up Paul vs. Rollins.

That’s yet another pivot on WWE’s constantly-winding WrestleMania road, and after Rollins returned and Orton picked up a shocking victory at Elimination Chamber, expect WWE’s biggest storylines to evolve drastically in the weeks ahead. Yep, things finally got interesting.